No excuse for poor presentation
Posted on January 31, 2011 at 5:10 pm, by aspect
Here’s a thought for you: The next time you know you will have to stand up in front of people and present to them don’t immediately go and prepare your slides or write your script. First ask yourself this simple question: “Am I boring?” I know, it’s harsh, but the simple truth is it doesn’t matter how cool your content is, if your presentation and performance style isn’t any good whatever you do is going to fall flat. If your answer is ‘yes’ or even ‘maybe’ then my advice is to go and get some training. When I say training, I’m not talking about presentation training but performance training – did you know we are in the theatre business? Delivering a good presentation is just like playing a part in a play or a TV series. The audience has to believe every word you say; they have to engage with you. So no matter how uncomfortable it feels to take that first step, getting some acting skills will be a huge benefit. Energy sells, and data repels. Your enthusiasm and passion will always make a greater impact on people than facts. Engage with your audience. Don’t tell people what you want them to learn, allow them to discover your insights. It’s usually down to you to make this change. Unfortunately, audiences are often all too willing to listen to unaccomplished presenters. Yes, we may fill in the evaluation form but we never actually give that brutal bit of feedback that could make the difference – “their voice was monotone, they overran, they didn’t convey enough passion, they were anchored to the spot, they need some training!” All these things can be worked on but you have to recognise they need work first! Author: Simon King-Cline
Broadcast or boredcast?
Posted on January 17, 2011 at 12:22 pm, by aspect
I’ve just finished watching a web broadcast and, I have to say, business television really lacks imagination. Technology allows us to reach a disparate audience cost-effectively so it makes perfect sense to use a web broadcast or web TV to communicate with clients and your staff but – maybe because it’s so cost-effective -people often seem to forget about making it interesting too! What is the point of publishing a message if no one is listening? Think about the television you watch every day – it’s colourful, it’s humorous, it’s topical, it’s passionate, it’s aggressive, it’s nail biting –most of all, it’s entertaining or we wouldn’t watch it! So why not get these ingredients into our webcasting experiences? The presenter needs to cut out the fat and keep the meat . The content focus should be steered away from your company’s agenda and back to what your audience is thinking; “what’s in it for me?”. Webcasting can be so much more than just a face talking to a screen. We should really be exploring new ways to engage our audiences – just like they do on Strictly, the X-Factor, Question Time or Test the Nation. Engaging your audience collaboratively has to be the way forward in the webcasting arena. Remember, it’s all about dialogue not monologue! Author: Simon King-Cline
